Stefan Halter provides an In-box review of the newly released M4A3(76)w Sherman tank from Tasca.

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If you have comments or questions please post them here.

Thanks!

Stefan,

Thanks for a very thorough review! The missing foundry marks on the nose are annoying, but many late transmissions had them underneath, so they weren't visible anyway from "normal" viewing angles. More worrying are the missing marks on the gun mantlet. And the seams around the shell ejection port sure look like slide-mould artefacts to me!

My biggest gripe is the lack of interior detail - not even a gun breach. Heck, even the venerable Italeri offering had that much! And the missing hatch handles are inexcusable on a kit of this quality and price.

Having said that, I'll still go out and get one!

Tom

James, again, thanks for the quick upload. And you fixed that little complicated part easy...

Tom, thanks for the comment. What bothers me most is it doesn't seem to offer any advantages over the Dragon releases that would make it worth 50% more cash. And I only had the older BoB kit to compare. The Premium release is probably even better (at the same price as the BoB kit).

Cheers!
Stefan

James & Stefan: Thanks for this. I was really looking forward to Tasca's release of this subject, and I am very grateful for this review. I would have been pretty disappointed, not to mention feeling a bit ripped off.
Any chance Tasca will fix any of the overlooked areas?

I hear ya on the value-for-money issue, but I intend to shop around rather than pay full whack. Otherwise as you say it's just not competitive. I think my biggest concern is that the oversights shake my confidence in the Tasca brand given how good their previous releases were in relation to the Dragon equivalents. The true value of Tasca was in the absolutely correct hull & suspension at a time when Dragon were really hit & miss (remember the undersize final drive plates?), but the gap in quality is closing so Tasca need to up their game...

Tom

Well, it may not be perfect, but I'm still excited to build this one up. LuckyModel had it on sale during their anniversary sale, so I think I got mine for ~$45 with the various discounts, plus free shipping.

I've yet to build any of the Dragon shermans myself, so I cannot fairly compare, but the Tasca Sherman I built was fantastic. With the hull detail, it really screams out for a super-detail job with the front transmission cover off for maintenance or something.

Does anyone know what aftermarket barrel would fit this kit?

Thanks for the review Stefan. think i'll grab me a DML kit after what you've said.

cheers!

Glad I could help gentlemen!




Jon, I don't have any AM barrels laying around but I will check if the DML BoB-Sherman's metal barrel will fit. If it does, anything good for the DML kit should be fine for this one as well.

Cheers!
Stefan

I tried the fit of the Dragon barrel and it was a bit of a loose fit. Also the barrel seem to be attached farther back on the Tasca kit than on the DML, so the barrel will be a it shorter. I'm certain it could be adapted (by adding a collar for one thing) but it won't be a smooth shake and bake job.

HTH!
Cheers!
Stefan

Stefan,

first of all: Thanks for your review!

I assume this will influence the audiance in preferring the DRAGON M4A3 76-MM Wet kit. But you couldn't convince me.

I have both kits and a build the TASCA M4A3 recently. I was impressed by TASCA's superb engineering and the wealth of details!

Stefan, you are correct in so far that the DRAGON model is cheaper!
In my opinion, this is the only advantage of the DRAGON kit.

Compare the DRAGON model's running gear with the Tasca one!

I give you an example; - the three bolts on the bottom of the volute spring assy. DRAGON one's show closer resemblance to mud pieces then bolts.
TASCA is the only model company that has the correct degree of the levers of the volute spring assy.
TASCA's exhaust grill builds into a perfect scalled down piece and is even workable!
Compare the inside of the driver's and co-driver's hatches and or the periscopes M4A1 with the TASCA's one and you will see the difference. The DRAGON parts are crude and not as detailled as the TASCA's one.

Not to mention the M2 HB .50 CAL Machine Gun. Tasca's one is a beauty and the best .50 CAL in model even better then the CAL SCALE one's. The DRAGON one's looks more like a toy.

These examples, and these are not the only one's, are factors, that make me to prefer the TASCA kit. But this is my personal opinion.

Cheers

Hauke Krapf

I agree with all over you points Hauke, as well as all those who have made them previously. What's amazing to me is that by correcting a few little details TASCA has the potential to create what is for all practical purposes a perfect kit, and I encourage them to continue to pursue this

Thanks for the review,


I don’t mind the short comings as it still looks like an excellent kit. I would say that my biggest grip would be the lack of “Duck Bills” on the track.

I’m with tom, I will shop around for the best price, but will defiantly and a couple to the Sherman stash.

Thanks for the input Hauke, it's always good to have someone else's opinion. Like I said in the review, it's a great kit, but pricey. So if you can shop around and get it cheaper, go for it!

Cheers!
Stefan

PS: No intention of influencing the audience in any direction, I was just stating my personal opinion. Just like you did, it's every one's own job to form their own opinion.

I do not know what price has to do with scale, details, finish, or anything else to do with the quality of a model when recommending it. Price is relative to the efforts taken by the manufacturer to produce the kit and would be the last consideration to one who is recommending quality.